Grain door



May 26, l 925.

C. A. JOHNSON GRAIN DOOR Filed April 26, 1925 .TTORN Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED vSTATES CHARLES A, JOHNSON', or SUPERIOR, wIseoNsIN.

'GRAIN DOOR.

Application ined April 26, 1923. serialNo. 634,770. l

To all whom t mag/'concern' Be it known that I, CHARLES A. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Superior, in the countyof Douglas and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to grain doors particularly adapted for railway grain cars and the object is to provide a door of such construction that a grain ear or grain bin in which it is installed may be rapidly and conveniently filled or emptied with no waste of effort or materials and the doorrwhen not in use may be put away in the smallest possible space in the car in readiness to be used again. f

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is an interior side' elevation of one side of a grain car equipped with my improved grain door.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section o-n line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 in Fig. 1, but showing the door of my device in raised position.

Fig. 4 is an outside elevation of a side of a car having a door opening equipped with my improved grain door.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a modification of a small portion of Fig. 2. l

Fig. 7 is Fig. 6 further modied.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 10 designates the floor and 11 one of the sides o-r side walls and 12 the roof of a grain car having a door opening 13 which is usually closed by a slidable outer door (not shown). The inner side of the door opening has its lower and larger portion closed by my horizontally sliding door 14. which is preferably made of sheet metal, reinforced by horizontal ribs 15, 15a, 15b and two vertical ribs 16, the latter forming the vertical edges of the door and giving the outer side of it a cavity the top of which is closed by the rib 15, and ribs 16 extend as legs 16a below the cavity and forming with the bottom edge of the middle portion of the door a grain outlet gap 16". The door is provided with two hangers 17 having grooved rollers 18 riding on a rail 19 secured at 2O above the door opening and extending as 19tl beyond the opening to enable the door to be slid when idle into a pocket 21 which is formed between the side wall 11 of the car and a second wall 22%-23 secured on uprights 24 and' being high enough for the loaded grain to never reach above it. The edge of the pocket 21 nearest the door opening A13 is normally closed byhold therollers 18 in vplace and thereby the door 14 in place -on the rail `when-it is,

either idle in the pocketorclosing the opening 13, in either of which positionsthe door 14 may have its legs 16a close to the car floor, and raised therefrom during transition only, when the door 1s forced from the one position to the other and thereby is' raised on the -inclines29i-3`O and"31.'y The door 14, when closed, projects partly upon the wall or door framev at both sides of the door opening so as to resist pressure of grain loaded in the car. opening between the legs 16a (see Fig. 1) is normally closed by a vertically movable door section or plate 32 (see lower part of Fig. 2). Said plate has its upper edge formed as a hook or channel 33 arranged to straddle and rest upon the top edge of the rib 15a when the plate is raised to let out grain, or upon the edge of rib 15b when the plate is closed or in its lowered position. The plate is slightly wider than the' door opening 13 so as to bear with. vertical edges against the walls 11; hence, when the plate is in the lower positionit is locked against accidental raising by a spring catch 34 which may engage the very top curve of the plate, as 34a in Fig. 6, or a lip 35 formed at the edge of the curved portion of a longer spring catch 34b as in Fig. 7; and when the plate is in the upper position the same catch or spring arm 34 presses it against the inner side of hook 15b (as in Fig. 3) and thereby holds the plate frictionally in the hooks 15 and 15b against upward movement until the operator takes hold of the handles 36 (best shown in Fig. 4)` and changes the plate from one position to another. The cleat 37 fixed on the plate is for a crow-bar to get hold of in starting the plate upward when grain is resting against its inner side. In the operation, when the car .is to be loaded with grain or similar goods, the open.-

The space oring v1.3 is partly closed by thedoor 14, the y latter having its plate 32 lowered and looked.

by the catches 34; and the pocket is closed by the door 25.

ed, and the outer ear door (not shown) may be closed and sealed. Y i

lVhen the grain is to bevunloaded the'plate 32 is raised and the grain run out through the 'opening `originally closedv bythe plate. Agfter'the grain getssolow in the earthat it will not run: out insaid manner, the door 25 is opened, door32npushed into the pocket 21 and Vdoor ,25 closed,- whereupon thefrest of the grain is removed from ythe car through the mainl door opening by any suitable;V

means. v

The grain door V14 may remain the pook-vl et until it is to be used again.

y,Having thus described my invention what Lelaim is v p Y f l. Theeolnbinationwith `a box ear rhaving a door opening in its side and along the inner side ofthe wall, a pocket open at the A. Atop )and at the edge nearest to the door open-V ing,` and a( horizontal traek'yseeured above said .door opening.,y and pocket., Y. ofy a main door'having hangerswith rollers riding on the track, and means for stopping the door in the pocket .andin a position to close the The grain is then poured lin above, the door 32 until the ear is loaddoor opening; said pocket having anarrow hinged door arranged Vto close the inlet for the 4main door, and means holding said narrow door closed When'so desired; the lower end of said main door being provided with a .large gap, and having` in its outer side a Cavity; a plate movable 'vertically in the cavity and adaptedgto close the gap, a-nd means on the door to engage the plate to hold it raised and inlowered position;v said* plate having its upper edgefeurved vtoward the door and downward to form an inverted channel, and ,the= lower .edge ofk the door y having anupwardly curved rim entering saidfehannelvvhen the plate isdoWn. i

`rlidable door for closing the our having ingitslower edge 2. A gral foar having a doorlopening and Y a horizontlti opening, sa

' a gap forming Aa starting outletfor thegrain, and 'abovesaid'gap a cavity in .the f ltteh. a leaf spring fixed 

